A Badger from the track to the water
May 25, 2010 | Women's Rowing
May 25, 2010
MADISON, Wis. - Last fall, Shannon Schlack traded in her track spikes and pole vault pole for oars and a boat seat. This spring, she finds herself seated in Wisconsin's varsity four boat, ready to compete for a national title with the Badgers at the NCAA Rowing Championships this weekend.
When UW rowing coaches Bebe Bryans and Megan Cooke found out Schlack was interested in rowing, they could not have been more excited.
"A good athlete that wants to row? Works for me!" Bryans said. "Shannon is great to have around. She is a great teammate, and she gets better every time she rows. She is a really tough competitor."
Cooke, the novice openweight coach, was also thrilled to have an experienced college athlete to mold into a top-notch rower.
"I'm used to having a lot of walk-ons - so great athletes who are not necessarily conditioned to compete at the collegiate level," Cooke said. "One of the best things about having Shannon was that she had already competed, so she knew what that meant and knew the process of raising your game on race-day. She did a really good job leading our squad from that end right from the beginning."
But what made Schlack, a 2007-08 letterwinner in track and field, turn from the track to the water?
"It's kind of a silly story," she admitted. "I went kayaking with my dad. He thought I was pretty good at it, and we thought maybe it was like rowing. I thought I'd try something new while I'm in college. Why not?"
The 2009-10 season has been all about transition for Schlack. She first made the transition from pole vaulting to rowing and then climbed the rowing ranks from the novice squad to the varsity team.
"There are a lot of similarities between track and field and rowing, even though you wouldn't think so," Bryans said. "Shannon was able to use the feel that she had with pole vaulting, and that fearlessness, and put it into this. A lot of rowing is just being fearless and going for it in that way."
The transitions have been relatively seamless for the athletic, coachable Schlack.
 Schlack pole vaulted for the UW track and field team prior to joining the rowing team.
|  |
"Before this, I had never been in a boat," Schlack said. "I think I'm a quick learner. The first time I ever pole vaulted, I jumped seven feet. I'm easily coached, I think."
Bryans and Cooke agree. A coaching decision made during spring break proved to be a pivotal point in Schlack's young rowing career.
"It wasn't really a gamble, but we brought her with the top boat for spring break and put her with the best people," Bryans said. "That was a really good decision. I think she was able to learn a lot by rowing with them all of the time and work her way into a nationals boat."
Schlack, a senior majoring in human development and family studies, realizes the strides she made during her spring break training as well.
"Over spring break, I learned a lot more about rowing," Schlack said. "It was an interesting transition going from novice rowing to the varsity. Novice rowing is more about working on power and fitness and general rowing stuff. Over spring break, I worked in a pair and learned a lot of technical things. I think I have gotten better in terms of technique since I've been on varsity.
"I really thank my coaches. I've never had a coach like Megan before, and Karen [Rigsby] and Bebe have really helped me a lot. I think I'm a better athlete since I switched sports."
Not only has Schlack's natural talent and willingness to learn benefited the Badgers, but her personality and dedication to the team have also aided in the team's success this year.
"Along with being a great athlete, Shannon is a really good leader," Cooke said. "Her team voted her in to be a captain, and it was no surprise. She is just a really good kid and a great leader, and we needed it. When you have 400 girls trying to do something, having a few kids on the squad who are more knowledgeable and older, it just leads everyone well. I think it definitely led to this year's success at the novice level."
Enthusiasm and leadership toward rowing came easy for Schlack, a Brooklyn, Wis., native.
"I really liked track and pole vaulting even though it was an individual thing," Schlack explained. "I like the team aspect of rowing and knowing that I have other girls pulling for me. I had never been on a team sport before. It was always about the individual, so I really, really like the rowing team."
Schlack's coaches believe that the sky is the limit for her rowing future.
"She went from knowing nothing to being in a varsity boat," Bryans said of Schlack's progress over nine months of rowing. "I mean, that's pretty stellar. She has another year of eligibility, so we are really excited about her.
"Shannon doesn't get rattled at all. That just helps her get better and better and better. I don't see any limits to her future. She could be a very, very good rower.
Along with reaching her potential, Cooke hopes that Schlack enjoys the experience.
"I hope that she loves it," Cooke said. "I think she'll do well at nationals. It will be natural for her to do well. I really hope that she connects with it, the team, the athletes, and that she comes back and does another year and goes even further. More importantly - she has a future in rowing, whether it's lightweight internationally or something else - but I just hope that she falls in love with the sport."
